Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
The Syracuse Orange were all but a lock for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament before the salivating showdown with the Duke Blue Devils on Feb. 22 that ended in controversial fashion, and ever since the game at Cameron, Syracuse has been in free fall mode dropping games the team should win handily. Could the tirade heard around the world really be responsible for this meltdown, or have the Orange finally been figured out as the season has gone along? All the blame for the current struggles cannot be place on Jim Boeheim‘s outburst, but you have to think it contributed to the team’s current predicament at least a little bit.
Syracuse continued to struggle Tuesday when the Orange fell to ACC bottom-dwellers Georgia Tech 67-62 at home. Syracuse has now lost four of the team’s last five games and there are no signs of recovery at the moment as the Orange’s tournament line seems to fall by the day. C.J. Fair and Tyler Ennis were the only Orange players’ semblance of life as the duo combined 46 of the team’s 62 points. While Syracuse had trouble getting on track early, Daniel Miller buried the Orange throughout the game racking up 15 points, six rebounds and four assists in the win that will prove to be nothing more than a moral victory for the Yellow Jackets.
Syracuse’s struggles could not have come at a worse time in the season as the tournament is only a few weeks away with the Orange’s offense in peril. Syracuse has the talent and coaching to rebound from these hard times, but will it be too little, too late for the Orange as postseason play approaches?
The Orange are a team that always seem to go into the NCAA tournament strong and lose earlier than expected, so maybe it will be beneficial to Syracuse to play the underdog role and surprise teams as it looks to make a deep run in the tournament.
Greg Douglas is a College Basketball writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @thegpd93 or add him to your Google Network.
